007 December – Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Oracle of Film

For today’s first review of Diamonds Are Forever, here’s Luke of Oracle of Film with his thoughts on it

Thanks Luke!

 

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

 

“Curious… how everyone who touches those diamonds seems to die.”

 

Number of Times Seen: 3

 

Brief Synopsis: Bond infiltrates a diamond smuggling ring to get closer to the mysterious Willard White, unaware that the smugglers are being killed off one by one.

 

My Take on It: Connery returns for one last go at playing James Bond. While Diamonds are Forever isn’t the greatest Bond out there, Sean Connery anchors it and shows everyone, why he still deserves recognition for being the most iconic actor to play the treasured character.

 

Diamonds are Forever makes for a good spy movie. I love the build-up here, as Bond uncovers clue after clue, a massive body count in his wake. We are itching to figure out what is happening next, which really does make any film so much better. There is even a late twist, which while common knowledge these days, must have been a jaw-dropping turn of events for anyone not in the know. The pay-off is just as good as the climax (the last few Bonds have been unable to deliver both, it seems), with a massive shoot-out on an oil rig, which might go down as one of the more explosive Connery finishes. Diamonds are Forever might not set the world on fire, but it will go down as a reliable bit of 007 fun.

 

Comedy is widely regarded as the downfall of Diamonds are Forever. Juxtaposing the grizzly death scenes is a lot of laugh-out loud moments, the blend not working in certain places. Tiffany Case, the Bond girl, is played for jokes, but comes across as a little frustrating. The movie occasionally feels a little Americanised. Some jokes do work and the comedy isn’t as bad as some have made out, but it does add a little sour tone to the overall movie, which stops it from being the knock-out success that we all want the last Connery to actually be.

 

Bottom Line: Good, but not great. It is a dependable Bond movie, but when it is the last time we see Sean Connery, we kind of wanted more.